Chapter 361: Is Xu Xiaodong a Suspect?

Lin Dongxue followed Lin Qiupu into the room, where they found Mr. Li, the reporting party, sitting silently on the sofa with his head in his hands, looking like a statue. Beside him, a maid was weeping quietly.

It was a well-decorated apartment, clearly showing that the owner was not only well-off but also had good taste. Peng Siyue’s team was searching the victim’s bedroom, packing her belongings into boxes.

Lin Qiupu sat across from Mr. Li and took out a notepad. “When did you discover it?”

To say “discovered your daughter’s head” in front of the father was too harsh, so Lin Qiupu omitted that part. Last night, Mr. Li’s daughter, Li Mengran, was murdered. Her head was severed and placed in a black bag, which was then hung on the door handle of Mr. Li’s home. The bag was a common trash bag.

The rest of the body had not been found, and determining the time of death was difficult with just the head.

“Around 1 a.m.,” Mr. Li said in a hoarse voice. It seemed he had been sitting in that position all night. The ashtray on the coffee table was filled with cigarette butts.

“Why did she leave home?”

“She didn’t do well in the college entrance exam. I wanted her to retake the year. We argued, and she ran away… My daughter has always been obedient. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hit her in anger. It’s all my fault!” Mr. Li started hitting his own head and crying.

“Mr. Li, please calm down!”

“Ranran is gone. What’s the point of living? Her mother and I divorced when she was young. I raised her alone. She was always so good and sensible. She was my everything. Ranran… Ranran…” Mr. Li broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing that further questioning would be impossible, Lin Qiupu asked Lin Dongxue to comfort him and took the maid to another room for questioning.

Aunt Wu recounted the events. After Li Mengran ran away at 3 p.m. yesterday, they called relatives, her classmates, and teachers. They even checked nearby bookstores and tea shops, although Li Mengran never went to internet cafes, they checked there too.

Since Li Mengran had turned off her phone, Aunt Wu would go out searching periodically and return to check. It wasn’t until 1 a.m. that the incident occurred.

“I watched Ranran grow up. She was like a daughter to me. I’ve been in a daze all day,” Aunt Wu said, wiping away tears.

“Why didn’t you contact her biological mother?”

“Madam Li divorced Mr. Li when Ranran was very young. Ranran hardly remembers her. Madam Li remarried and has had no contact with Mr. Li.”

Lin Qiupu decided to ask just in case, “Do you have her contact information?”

“I’ll find it for you.”

As Aunt Wu left, Lin Dongxue returned, holding a piece of paper. “This girl estimated her score at 630, but her father wasn’t satisfied. I just asked; he insists on Peking University. The daughter didn’t want to retake the year, so they fought… He said he hadn’t hit her in ten years, but he slapped her yesterday in a fit of rage.”

Lin Qiupu was also surprised at such strict parenting. “That’s not the focus. Don’t pry into their sorrows.”

“I wasn’t prying. Mr. Li volunteered that information.”

After the questioning, the other officers left, and Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue began checking surveillance footage from the neighborhood. A convenience store’s footage showed Li Mengran buying a drink and ice cream around 2:30 p.m. The clerk said she sat inside for a while, playing with her phone before leaving.

Lin Dongxue said, “She left home without changing clothes or taking her ID. It’s unlikely she went to an internet cafe. She probably went to meet a friend.”

“The victim’s phone should have communication records!” Lin Qiupu tried calling her phone, which was off. He called the tech department to check her call logs and social media messages.

It was sweltering, and once inside the air-conditioned store, they didn’t want to leave. Lin Qiupu bought two bottles of cold water and two ice creams, handing one to Lin Dongxue. “Is it okay to eat ice cream while investigating?”

“If I’m leading, it’s fine!” Lin Qiupu said, tearing open the wrapper.

“Thank you, Captain.” Lin Dongxue unwrapped hers. It tasted nostalgic but not as good as she remembered.

The footage showed Li Mengran heading south after leaving the store. Following this direction, they checked surveillance camera after camera. A parking lot’s footage showed a man catching up with her around 9 p.m., and they walked away together.

Lin Qiupu zoomed in. “Enlarge the image!”

The security guard was puzzled, then remembered it wasn’t police equipment and paused it. Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue leaned in, almost touching faces. Lin Qiupu analyzed, “About 1.8 meters tall, medium build.”

“He has a car, unlikely a student,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Roll it back to see which car.”

A minute earlier, a Mercedes had entered, with the license plate clearly visible. Lin Qiupu exclaimed, “Take note of that number!”

“Brother!” Lin Dongxue rarely used “brother” at work. “This plate looks familiar.”

“SAXXX… It’s Xu Xiaodong’s car!”

They couldn’t believe it. Watching the video again, it did look like Xu Xiaodong. Just then, the office called, informing Lin Qiupu, “The victim chatted with someone around 8 p.m., saying she had run away. That person was Xu Xiaodong!”

“He was the last contact?” Lin Qiupu hoped it wasn’t true.

“Yes, and there were no further communications.”

“Bring Xu Xiaodong in for questioning! No, we must avoid bias. Have Team One handle it.”

Lin Qiupu put down the phone, looking troubled. Lin Dongxue grabbed his arm, “Brother, Xiaodong wouldn’t kill anyone.”

“We’ll find out through investigation.”

Though Lin Dongxue wanted to rush back and ask Xu Xiaodong directly, the best way to help him was to continue investigating. She said, “Let’s keep checking the surveillance.”

“Alright, let’s keep going.”

By 2 p.m., they found more footage showing Xu Xiaodong walking with Li Mengran at 10 p.m., with his jacket over her shoulders.

This increased Xu Xiaodong’s suspicion. Exhausted, they stopped searching.

Back in the car, Lin Dongxue felt stifled despite the air conditioning. “Xiaodong wouldn’t kill anyone.”

Lin Qiupu shook his head, “Dongxue, I believe he wouldn’t, but we must follow procedures and evidence.”

Determined, Lin Dongxue took out her phone, “I’m asking Chen Shi for help!”